Six area school districts open year with new superintendents

For the second time in three years, Springfield-area residents will be getting to know a new wave of superintendents at the start of the school year.

Six area districts will head into the 2014-15 school year with either a new full-time superintendent or someone to fill the role on an interim basis for one year.

Districts undergoing a change in leadership this year include Riverton, Tri-City, Pleasant Plains, Illini Central and Morrisonville. Springfield residents were introduced to Jennifer Gill in May, but this will be her first full year on the job.

The change comes three years after seven area superintendents — Bob Gillum in Ball-Chatham, Maureen Talbert in Pleasant Plains, Kathy Garrett in Auburn, Valerie Carr in New Berlin, Marlene Brady in North Mac, Connie Woods in Panhandle and Philip Shelton in Mount Pulaski — retired in 2011.

Becoming more frequent?

Sangamon County Regional Superintendent Jeff Vose said school superintendent turnover locally seems to be more frequent in recent years.

Since he was first elected in 2005, Vose said he could only recall three changes in top leadership roles between 2005 and 2010 in Sangamon County.

As for why there has been a spike, Vose said it’s hard say because each situation is different, although he did note concerns over pensions could play a role.

“I haven’t seen this trend where there is that much movement and fluctuation of superintendents coming and going,” Vose said. “This is definitely rare.”

Michael Chamness, spokesman for the Illinois Association of School Administrators, said superintendent turnover in recent years has been stable statewide.

There are 63 new superintendents taking over this year and 33 superintendent transfers to new districts in Illinois. That total is down slightly from last year, when there were 72 new hires and 31 transfers. Illinois has 861 school districts.

A 2012 survey the association conducted found the average time people served as superintendents in Illinois was 7 1/2 years, and the average time they were in their current position was 4.6 years.

“The numbers have stayed fairly consistent,” Chamness said. “Pension reform may have accelerated it a little bit, but most of it is normal attrition and upward mobility.”

Residents in Rochester haven’t had to look for a new superintendent in more than a decade. Tom Bertrand, 50, is entering his 13th year as superintendent and 23rd year in the district as an administrator.

Bertrand said he believes the key to sticking around is finding the right fit for you and your family. Sometimes, Bertrand said, candidates talk themselves into jobs that weren’t right for them and end up looking for employment elsewhere in a few years.

One factors that also has helped him continue on is having a stable school board and solid building principals, he said.

“When there is a lot of upheaval with building administrators or (a) school board, you’re probably going to see an upheaval in the third area, superintendent,” Bertrand said. “It’s very difficult to establish any continuity when that happens.”

Who are the new faces?

The Riverton School District hired Lance Thurman, a former high school principal from the Olympia School District near Bloomington, to take the top job.

Riverton filled the position on an interim basis this past school year after the district cut ties with former School Superintendent Tom Mulligan over concerns about use of a district credit card.

Jill Larson, previously assistant superintendent in the Ball-Chatham School District, returned home to the Tri-City School District as its new superintendent. H. David Bruno left that district to take a job in the private sector. The Ball-Chatham School Board voted Monday to divide Larson’s former duties among other administrators.

Pleasant Plains also will have a new leader, although who it will be hasn’t been decided. Pleasant Plains School Board members are interviewing candidates to take over on an interim basis. Former Superintendent Jerry Schutz took a superintendent job in Iowa.

In Mason City, the Illini Central School District will have an interim superintendent this year, albeit one with a long history with the district. The board hired former Superintendent Ken Cox after Lori Harrison resigned earlier this month.

Harrison’s resignation came shortly after news reports surfaced that retired coach John Giesler’s personal belongings were trashed before he could clean out his classroom.

The Morrisonville School District’s new superintendent this year is Karen Perry. Perry is the first full-time superintendent the district has had in two years.

Gill is the first full-time superintendent the Springfield School District has had since Walter Milton Jr. resigned in March 2013.

Goals and challenges

Both Thurman and Larson discussed some of their goals and challenges with The State Journal-Register.

Thurman, 43, said he is coming to the Riverton School District at an interesting time. After waiting a decade, the state came through on a $7.9 million grant it owed Riverton for school building projects, which are long completed.

Thurman said he and the board are in discussions about how to spend the money, some of which could go to paying off debt.

“We really need a strategic plan to say, ‘These are our priorities,’ to help us decide things,” Thurman said. “Then all that money should reflect those decisions instead of putting it here, there and everywhere.”

Thurman said repairing trust in the community in the wake of Mulligan’s resignation is a top priority for him. He plans to hold three “state of the schools” updates this year, where the community will be invited to come out and hear a presentation about the district and ask questions.

Thurman also noted he is working on an evaluation system for principals as well as looking at ways the district can be more efficient and possibly rebuild reserves.

“We have to control and mitigate expenses,” he said.

In the Tri-City School District — which combines Buffalo, Dawson and Mechanicsburg — Larson said she plans to work with the community on developing a long-term plan.

Larson said one of the biggest challenges the district faces is upgrading its facilities. Parts of the school, which houses preschool through high school, date back to 1939.

The first priority will be repairing the roof and then developing a plan to install central heating and air conditioning. Most of the classrooms currently have window units, she said.

Problems with mold hopefully are in the past, Larson added. The district soon will get final results back on the locker room, which has been blocked off because of past issues with mold.

Students in the district will be eating healthier meals this year, too, Larson said.

The district partnered with the local nonprofit genHkids to develop a menu and train newly hired staff. The district had hired an outside contractor that used the school’s kitchen to prepare meals.

Since taking over July 1, Larson said her first few weeks on the job have been exciting, especially since it’s a homecoming for her. Larson graduated from the district in 1989.

“It’s exciting to come back home,” she said. “I’m ready for the challenge to figure out how to make this the best district possible.”